Beginners and Improvers – is for you if:

• You have never ecoprinted before
• You are self-taught or have attended a beginners course, but are not yet getting clear crisp prints
• You who would like to go back to first principles to gain better understanding and confidence or improve your technique
• You get some good prints but you don’t really understand what works and why.
• You have read so much conflicting information that you just don’t know what method to use
• You are feeling confused and want to build your confidence and understanding
• You want to learn lots, but would like to work at a gentler pace
• You have studied with for example Nicola or India, working with immersion methods, but are not experienced with steaming your bundles and using mordants, barriers, and carrier cloths
• This week is suitable for people who have done my foundation skills, stitchclub or textileartist.org course. There will be a small amount of recap but most of the things we do will be new to you

We will cover:
• Choosing and preparing fabric – both cellulose and protein
• Mordants – what they are, how they work, how to make them and use them
• Bundling technique – how to reliably get clear crisp prints time after time
• Lots of techniques to help people bundle comfortably and effectively even if they have arthritis, weak hands, bad back etc!
• How to choose and use barriers
• Iron blankets and dye carrier cloths
• Troubleshooting. Blurring, splodges, weak colour, wrinkles – sorted!
• Natural dyes – how they work, which to choose, how to make up dye pots
• Combining natural dyes with ecoprint to get colourful results
• We will start with samples and progress to printing scarves, shawls and simple garments